This invention relates generally to net systems which are employed as safety barriers. More particularly, the present invention relates to safety net systems which are installed to pallet racks and the like.
Pallet racks have for a number of years provided a primary storage support structure in large warehousing storage and distribution facilities. In highly efficient modernized warehousing operations, forklifts or other vehicles are commonly employed to load and remove loaded pallets from pallet racks. As the size of the facilities has increased, the potential for accidental droppage or improper loading of the pallet racks has also escalated. Many facilities have employed safety netting systems to enhance safety. The safety nets are ordinarily installed at the back of the pallet racks to form a safety barrier to thereby minimize the safety risks from mishandling loads or misloading of the pallet racks.
The safety net systems which have been conventionally employed in connection with pallet racks have tended to be custom installed for the configuration, size and safety level requirements of a given pallet rack. Because pallet rack systems tend to not be standardized in terms of shape, size and load ratings and tend to have different load distribution requirements, providing a safety net system which is adaptable for use with a wide variety of pallet rack systems has proved problematical. In practice, the safety netting is conventionally suspended from cables which are subjected to a high level of tension in order to provide a netting system having sufficient structural integrity when subjected to a load impact. Consequently, the structural framework for the safety netting system requires a substantial structural rigidity in order to properly suspend the netting.